Superman Family #178 is an issue of the series Superman Family (Volume 1) with a cover date of September, 1976. It was published on May 3, 1976.
Synopsis for Lois Lane: "The Girl with the Heart of Steel"
Lois Lane agrees to have a scientist give her bionic body parts, not knowing she will soon become all-bionic as a result.
Appearing in Lois Lane: "The Girl with the Heart of Steel"
Featured Characters:
- Lois Lane (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Superman (Flashback and main story)
- Perry White
Antagonists:
- Gangsters (Flashback only)
- An assassin
Other Characters:
- Professor Mathers and other S.T.A.R. Labs scientists
- Bimmo the chimp (has bionic limbs)
- A sentient spaceship and its robotic drones
- A Metropolis city council candidate
Locations:
Synopsis for Supergirl: "The Three Magic Wishes!"
This story is reprinted from Action Comics #257.
Linda Lee is reading fairy tales to the younger children of Midvale Orphanage when resident trouble-maker Tom Baxter plays a prank on the children. After scaring Linda's audience, Tom puts fairy tales down, and begins mocking the little children for believing in them. Linda decides that Tom needs to be taught a lesson, and leaves.
Linda changes to Supergirl, makes a fairy costume and flies into the room in hopes of teaching Tom a lesson. However, Tom thinks the fairy is a hoax, so he tries to prove she isn't really flying. When his attempt fails, he demands three magic wishes. Using her super-powers, Linda makes the children believe she has made a magic mirror out of a window, changed a rabbit into a horse and back again, and ties up Tom with unbreakable string made from her own hair strands. Tom then claims he was only joking earlier, and Supergirl makes it appear his noise is growing for telling a lie.
Kara then uses hypnosis to make all the children think they dreamed the whole episode, and changes back to Linda Lee. When Tom declines to hear the tale of Pinocchio, Linda smiles, thinking he will not interrupt her fairy tale readings again.
Appearing in Supergirl: "The Three Magic Wishes!"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Tom Baxter (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Peggy
Locations:
Synopsis for Jimmy Olsen: "Superman's Phantom Pal!"
This story is reprinted from Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #62.
When Jimmy Olsen becomes Elastic Lad and gains temporary access to the Phantom Zone through a small aperture, Jax-Ur and company try to tempt him into watching Superman change into his secret identity, but Jimmy resists the temptation.
Appearing in Jimmy Olsen: "Superman's Phantom Pal!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Lois Lane
- Lucy Lane
- Perry White
- Mon-El
- Professor Potter (Mentioned only)
Antagonists:
- Phantom Zoners
- Jax-Ur
- Professor Vakox
- Dr. Xadu (Reprinted as Kru-El)
- The Dagger Gang
Other Characters:
- Jimmy Olsen Fan Club
- Supergirl (Mentioned only)
- Superboy (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Metropolis
- Daily Planet
- Jimmy Olsen's apartment
- Metropolis Zoo
- Metropolis Airport
- Perry White's kitchen
- Lucy Lane's apartment
- Phantom Zone
Items:
Vehicles:
- Steamroller
Notes
- Lois Lane desires her transformation into a cyborg partially in order to become the world's first bionic person, though she knows from personal experience that a bionic man existed years prior: Metallo, the killer with the Kryptonite heart.
Trivia
- In Superman's Phantom Pal the identity of the third Phantom Zoner changes from Dr Xadu in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #62, to Kru-El in this issue. Dr Xadu escaped the Phantom Zone in Superboy #100 and was never returned, so an editor may have felt that this violated continuity, and changed Xadu's identity to another goateed Kryptonian.